Snorkelling at the Oyster Stacks.

Today’s schedule involved a morning snorkel at Oyster Stacks, a reef area with three large bombies, hence the name. Local knowledge indicates that the best time to swim is the few hours either side of high tide. Therefore we needed to be out of the water by about 10.30am.

Oyster Stacks has a long rock platform making access to the water a little s tricky. We opted like many others to walk several hundred metres down to a sandy beach section.

As we were walking into the water I spied a little yellow fish and pointed it out. As soon as I put my face in the water I was blown away by the number of actually fish there that were not visible from above and we were only 2 meters off the shore.

The current was relatively strong running north to south, so we had to work hard to make it back to the stacks. Again the amount of marine life was mind boggling. We were swimming through large schools of fish who were not alarmed by our presence.

As we rounded the last bombie, we let the current take us south enjoying all the underwater scenery as we drifted. Katy was having trouble with her snorkel which had rubbed on her gum so she was keen to exit the water. As we approached the sandy beach a small black tip reef shark darted infront of us. A fantastic way to finish our snorklel. Andy and Ella continued on for a while longer, ending up even further down the beach than we did therefore had a long walk back to the towels. It was an amazing experience and we all voted that the Oyster Stacks was the best snorkelling we did at Ningaloo.

Once we had all dried off and changed, we drove down to Yardie Creek, a tidal creek that flows into the Indian Ocean. At low tide many 4WD's cross the creek saving themselves over an hours driving time. Although we had no reason to cross, for us it was a no go zone as dictated by RedSands due to the potential of the salt water causing corrosive damage to the engine. They have a tracker on the car which would let them know if we crossed. We saw several 4WD's crossing without any dramas.

Anyhow we were at Yardie Creek to walk up the gorge. It was a popular hike to do. The carpark was nearly full and we saw many groups on the trail. The hike was very short around 3km. The sheer walls of the gorge were an intense red in the bright sunlight and very striking. Lounging in the sun on several rock ledges, we spotted 5 rock wallabies who inhabit the little rocky gullies of this gorge.

It was back to Ned's for lunch and a rest before deciding on the afternoon adventures if any. Consensus was to try our luck snorkelling at Lakeside in hope of seeing another turtle. By the time we arrived at Lakeside, the wind was up and people seem to be leaving - not a good sign.

We left our gear on the rocks, walk a few hundred metres south knowing that the current will bring us back. Entering the water it's obvious the conditions are not ideal - the wind has stirred up the sand reducing visibility. Despite this it's still wonderful out there and the current quickly guides us over the reef - our final snorkel was over and done with very quickly without seeing another turtle.